Chapter 1 — My Mother Stole 80,000,000 Yuan, And My Boyfriend Shows His True Form

"I want you to transfer all the compensation for the clearance of the three buildings in your name to me."

The night before the wedding registration day, my mother sat on the red wooden sofa in the living room, holding a ceramic cup in her hand, her tone calm as if she was just criticizing tonight's dish as being a bit salty. The phone in my hand almost fell to the ground. Three buildings in the most beautiful location of Nam Kieu village, a total of nine floors, twenty-seven business premises and seventy-eight apartments. Clearance compensation has just been approved. 80,000,000 yuan. That is the property my grandfather left me before he passed away. On the certificate of ownership, my name is clearly written: Lam Tieu Hoa.

"What did mom just say?"

I thought I heard wrong. Mom put down the enamel cup and looked out the window. In the alley of Nam Kieu village, the lights from the streetside grills are still bright. Oil smoke blew up in the wind. The light from the chandelier made her face even colder and harder.

"Send it to mom. Tomorrow, before I go to register my marriage."

She repeated again. There was not the slightest intention of negotiation in his voice. My palms immediately sweated. Tomorrow is the day Truong Thac and I go to register our marriage. Both relatives have been informed. Weddings booked for the weekend. The wedding photo set is still placed on the headboard in the bedroom. Today Truong Thac even texted me, saying he was finally going to marry me and take me home. My throat constricted.

"Mom, that's the house my grandfather left me. Why do you suddenly want to take it?"

Mom raised her head to look at me. This year she is fifty-two years old. In Nam Kieu village, no one knows her. Every time rent is collected, even if it's just a penny, it must be calculated clearly. Going to the market to buy vegetables, if the seller owes her five dimes, she can stand right in front of the stall calculating until evening.

"You just need to answer mom."

"Sign or not sign?"

I opened my mouth. But every word got stuck in my throat. My mother was strong all her life, cursing many renters for not paying enough, and also used a broom to chase away hoodlums encroaching on the street. Relying on an abacus and a set of keys, she raised me until I was twenty-eight years old. The sentence she most often hangs in her mouth is:

"A woman must keep her money in her own hands. A man's words are not worth as much as a piece of toilet paper."

But now, right before the day I went to register my marriage, she wanted to take away all the clearance compensation money in my name.

"I need a reason."

I squeezed the phone tightly, the edge of the case pressed painfully against my palm. Mom stood up and placed a file firmly on the tea table.

"Lam Tieu Hoa, have you given everything I've taught you for so many years to the dog?"

I looked at the file. The words on the cover made my eyes hurt.

"Declaration of property transfer between mother and daughter and commitment to jointly bear debts."

"Mom, what is this?"

She threw the pen in front of me.

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, at the notary office next to the Civil Affairs Department. Mom told Uncle Chu to make an appointment."

"What does 'share the debt' mean?"

"Mom owes 2,000,000 yuan, you share the burden."

I laughed out loud.

"Mom took 80,000,000 yuan from me, and made me incur another 2,000,000 yuan in debt?"

Mom also laughed. The smile is even more sarcastic than mine.

"What? Don't want it?"

The phone vibrated once. It's a message Truong Thac sent it.

"Tieu Hoa, tomorrow you officially become Mrs. Truong, are you nervous? My mother told you to sleep a little early, don't wear too much makeup tomorrow. She likes elegant, simple daughters-in-law."

I stared at that text. Suddenly I remembered the meal at Truong's house a month ago. Truong Thac's mother, Vuong Que Phan, picked up a chicken wing and put it in my bowl, smiling warmly.

"Tieu Hoa, I really like you. When Thac married you, his ancestors' tombs were literally filled with green smoke."

Having said this, she suddenly changed her tone.

"I heard that your village is about to be liquidated, right? The buildings that are in your name, after marriage, are they considered marital property? We are all one family, so if we divide them too clearly, we become strangers."

At that time, Truong Thac just came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup. Hearing that, he immediately frowned.

"Mom, what are you saying? Tieu Hoa's things belong to Tieu Hoa."

Vuong Que Phan immediately slammed the table.

"I'm just asking a random question. Look at how frantic you are. Tieu Hoa is not an outsider."

At that time, I thought Truong Thac was protecting me. Now that I think about it, I see. In the bowl of rib soup that day, abaca seeds were already stewed. I answered Truong Thac with two words.

"Good night."

Putting the phone down, I looked at my mother.

"What do you want to do, mom?"

Mom pushed the pen a little more towards me.

"I want you to see clearly tomorrow."

"What I'm about to marry is you..."

"...or a dog just waiting to eat up someone else's property."

I met Truong Thac on a blind date. The location is a long-standing tea house in the Tay Thanh area. The matchmaker is my second aunt. Auntie patted her chest and assured her, saying that Truong Thac had good character, had a stable job in the city, and his parents were also kind and simple. The most important thing is not to criticize my family for coming from a village in the city. At that moment, I almost spat out a mouthful of tea. The landlords in Nam Kieu village often wear slippers to collect rent, not looking like people of any status. But the guys in suits in the city weren't necessarily worth as much as a key from my mother's key chain. Truong Thac arrived very on time. White shirt, black pants, shiny watch. When pouring tea for me, he turned the rim of the cup towards me and gently asked:

"Miss Lam, I heard you say that you normally help your family collect rent?"

"It's very hard, isn't it? There are all kinds of tenants, there are many problems."

He laughed.

"I don't pay attention to those things. Finding a target is looking at the person, not how many apartments there are in the house."

That sentence was said very naturally. Second Aunt sitting next to her immediately smiled brightly like a flower.

"See, Tieu Hoa? This is called a man who knows how to live. Unlike some people, the moment he hears relief, his eyes turn blue."

Truong Thac did not respond about the release. He just asked me what I like to eat, if I know how to drive, and if it's safe to collect rent at night. At the end of the blind date, he walked me to the alley and didn't leave in a hurry.

"Lam Tieu Hoa, can I pursue you?"

I looked at him.

"Aren't you afraid of my mother?"

He laughed.

"Mrs. Tran Phuong Lan from Nam Kieu village, I've heard of her name."

"The landlady is renting, it's normal to be a little strong."

"A woman raised her daughter by herself Growing up, if I wasn't strong enough, I would have been bullied a long time ago."

Those words touched my heart. My mother is very strong. But very few people think about why she has to be so strong. Half a year later, Truong Thac pursued me very persistently. If it rains, come pick me up. If I'm sick, bring medicine. When I argued with the tenant, he just stood next to me and gave me water, waiting for me to finish scolding him before gently saying:

"The third sentence just now was a bit of a pain in the ass."

He never proactively asked how much money my family had. On the contrary, his mother Vuong Que Phan was the one who asked a lot of questions. First time coming to my house. Vuong Que Phan looked at me from head to toe, then pulled my hand and said:

"Oh my, Tieu Hoa."

"You don't even wear a gold bracelet on your hand?"

"Your mother has so many houses, why doesn't she buy some for you?"

Truong Thac immediately spoke up:

"Mom, don't stare at people's hands like that."

Vuong Que Phan laughed so much that the corners of his eyes were full of wrinkles.

"Don't you love your future daughter-in-law? In the future, when I return to the Truong family, I will definitely treat her like my own daughter."